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Undies on Parade

Also: No Thinking, FDA Accountability

Undies on Parade
Salt Lake Tribune religion writer Peggy Fletcher Stack kind of liked an online article about Mormon underwear. But everyone and their mother seemed aghast and appalled at the cover of Bloomberg Business Week, on which John the Baptist exhorted Joseph Smith and his buddy to “build a shopping mall … and open a Polynesian theme park in Hawaii that shall be largely exempt from the frustrations of tax ...” Stack referred to a Huffington Post article that drew comparisons to other religions’ clothing choices, like Jewish yarmulkes, and concluded that garments are just a sign of faith with no magical powers. The Bloomberg Business Week cover, though, caused the Deseret News’ Jay Evensen to call it “unethical and offensive.” Hey, Jay, it’s mostly curiosity about Mormons, fueled by the Mitt Romney campaign, so why not just explain instead of
complain?

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Thinking Not Allowed
Let’s face it: The Utah Eagle Forum is a force to contend with, if only in your mind—or someone’s mind. Take the Jordan School Board, for instance. Because of delayed mini-outrage over the school play, Dead Man Walking, the school board is considering an apology for making kids think and maybe even shocking parents. We’ve had this discussion before, and it involves the role of education, not the content of plays. Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, tried to eliminate the International Baccalaureate from state curriculum because it advocates critical thinking. Both cases involved high school students who are set to embark in the real world. One has to wonder why the Eagle Forum has so little faith in the judgment of teens faced with reasoned pros and cons.

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Holding FDA Accountable
Maybe you’re not a fan of class-action lawsuits, but they’re probably inevitable, given the abundance of TV commercials promoting new drugs and medical procedures. You can find help for everything from dry eyes to sagging chin lines—for a price. At least 10,000 women around the country paid the price for a surgical fix for their leaky bladders—no Depends for them. Instead, up to 1 million women had a pelvic mesh device implanted, and some of them died when the devices failed. Some 50 Utah women are joining the chorus of those who still pee at a sneeze—and there will be more. This is not so much doctors messing up as it is the Food & Drug Administration signing off on questionable practices, and it’s one place where the federal government should be more active.